John s



(No Model.)

J. S. GROTTY.

DRESS STAY.

No. 559,683. Patented May 5, 1896.

alffoww UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICR JOHN S. CROTTY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

DRESS-STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,683, dated May 5.1896.

Application filed December 2, 1895. Serial No. 570,766. (No model.)

To all mil/0122, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. CROTTY, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Dress-Stays, of which thefollowing is a specifi cation.

My invention relates to dress-stays, and has for its object to constructa stay with very little manipulation and without the use of anyintricate or unusual machinery and of such a character that the ends ofthe stay will be protected and not work through the dress; and to thisend I cover the blade with two strips folded across the ends, as fullyset forth hereinafter, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved dress-stay; Fig.2,a plan View; Figs. 3, at, and 5, longitudinal sections illustratingthe PlOgl'GSSlVQ formation of the stay.

The blade A may be of steel or of any of the materials for stiffeningpurposes in dress stays and is cut to the proper length and is thenplaced upon a strip a, which may be coated with paste, if necessary, andthe ends of the strip 0 o are then folded over the blade, as shown. Ifdesired, the strip a may be of Sn fficient wid th to form a dozen ormore stays, in which case a dozen or more blades A are placed side byside, but separated from each other, and the entire strip is bent overat o c, and after subsequent operations the material is severed betweenthe separate blades. After the ends 0 0 have been folded over, the bladethus partly covered is placed upon another strip h, longer than theblade, and the ends c e of this strip are then folded over upon theblade and upon the strip before applied, the uncovered face of the bladebeing applied to the strip 1) and the latter or the blade being coatedwith suitable cement or other material,

if desired; or in some instances the cement may be wholly dispensed withor used only at the ends. There is then applied to either one or bothends of the article, in such position as to lie over the inturned ends 6of the strip 2), cap-pieces done at each end-of the same width as thatof the covering-strips, but preferably projecting a little beyond theend of the covered blade, and ornamented, being either a different coloror with a surface ornamentation that will impart an ornamental of feetto the stay. Two rows of stitching s s are then sewed along the entirelength of the stay adjacent to the side of the blade, passing throughboth the cover-strips a I), through the folded ends 0 and folded ends 0,and through the cap-pieces (1, thereby securing the blade in place,securing the covering-strips to the blade and the cap-piece to thestrips. It will therefore be seen that by such stitching, with thestrips arranged as described, the use of paste is not absolutelyessential, although I prefer in many instances to employ it, because itserves to give a neater finish to the edges of the stay, where they arepreferably scalloped or pinked.

It will thus be seen that without any slitting of the strips orcovering-pieces, or without any other manipulation than is requiredmerely to fold the end of each strip over the end of the blade, I amenabled to secure two thicknesses of material opposite each end of theblade and in addition to protect the on d by the projecting cap-piece,and that thus these ends will not tend to wear through the dress asreadily as they would without such protection. I am aware that differentmeans have been employed for securin g the additional thickness ofmaterial at the ends of the blade of stays; but I am-not aware of anywhich can be applied with such facility and so readily and with solittle manipulation as by the folding in in opposite directions of thetwo strips as I have before described. It will also be seen that thecap-pieces not only increase the thickness of the stay at the ends andtend to prevent the ends from working into the dress, but they also addgreatly to the ornamental appearance of the article.

In some instances where a cheaper stay is required the parts may becemented together in place of stitehin g, and, if desired, the stays maybe run between einbossing-rolls,making a series of indentations s s,imitating stitches.

lVithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangementshown and described, I claim 1. Adress-stayconsisting of a bladellftVlll g a covering-strip (0 applied to one side, and folded over atthe end in one direction, and another coverin "-strip 1) applied to theoppo site side and folded over the ends in the opposite direction withtwo rows of stitching s, s, securing the covering-strips together onopposifie sides of the blade, substantially as set ort 2. A dress-stayconsisting of a blade having a covering-strip a, applied to one side,and folded over at the end in one direction, and another covering-stripI), applied to the opposite side and folded over the ends in the opposite direction the parts secured together, substantially as set forth.

The combination in a stay, of a blade, a covering-strip it, applied toone side and folded over the ends in one direction, another strip 1)applied to the other side and folded over sides of the blade,substantially as set forth. 1

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence or two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN S. CROTTY.

YVitnesses JOHN LAWRIE, D. D. AUSTIN.

